Alexis Yackley, Sully Buttes, Basketball

Yackley knows what won her team the championship this year

Yackley knows what won her team the championship this year

March 15, 2007|By Ryan Deal

Personal Family: Parents, Steve and Kristi Yackley; sister, Nicole (4); brothers, Ryan (14), Donnie (7). Favorite athlete: Michael Jordan. A motivated Sully Buttes girls' basketball team entered the state tournament with a solid reputation, but the Chargers were still on the defensive side. Junior Alexis Yackley and the Chargers played a stifling three games of defense and ran away with the State B girls' basketball championship at Huron. Yackley, a junior, averaged 13.6 points per game in the tournament, highlighted by a 16-point performance in the title game. For her efforts, Yackley has been chosen as the American News Athlete of the Week. The Chargers have come close to the state title year after year, only to see it slip away from them. “It was a great thing because we have been there before,” said Yackley. “It is a great accomplishment for me and my team because this is what we have strived for since I was in kindergarten when I first started playing basketball.” The Chargers defeated Castlewood 55-31 in the title game. The Chargers forced 17 turnovers in the game. For the tournament, Sully Buttes allowed its three opponents to score a total of 93 points. “She was very big. The pressure that she puts on point guards, just creates a lot of problems for other teams,” said Sully Buttes coach Mark Senftner. “In the state tournament, we gave up an average of 31 points a game and she was a big part of that. A lot of times people can't get the ball inside because there is so much pressure on the outside.” Two other factors motivated Yackley and her team to win the state title. Last season the Chargers lost to eventual state champion Mitchell Christian in the semifinals. “We know how it feels to go all that way and lose right before the state championship,” said the 5-foot-7 Yackley. “We were up in that game. We knew we should have won it. Not taking anything away from Jill Young or her team, but we knew that we were the better team. We just could not get it done that night.” Another motivational factor was that Yackley injured her knee in the regular season and had to sit out five games. One of the games Yackley was forced to miss was a matchup with Mitchell Christian. “It was tough, especially for our big game against Mitchell Christian,” said Yackley. “I really wanted to play in that one because we lost to them in the semis last year. It was tough for me to sit out all of those games.” Still Yackley knows what won her team the championship this year. “When we got to the state tournament I really thought that our defense won it for us,” said Yackley. “It started there and all us, especially myself, pride ourselves on our defense. That is definitely what won us those last three games.” Personal Family: Parents, Steve and Kristi Yackley; sister, Nicole (4); brothers, Ryan (14), Donnie (7). Favorite athlete: Michael Jordan. Favorite team: Iowa State University Cyclones Basketball team. Other sports: Cross country. Hobbies: Reading, running and exercising. Biggest basketball rivalry: “James Valley Christian, we play them every year in regions.” Most memorable athletic accomplishment: “Winning the state tournament and last year when I made first-team all-state.”